Police appeal over student murders

8:20pm Sunday 6th July 2008

Detectives investigating the horrific murders of two French students have renewed appeals for help finding their killers.

Scotland Yard on Sunday afternoon released without charge a 21-year-old man who was being questioned about the deaths.

Gabriel Ferez and Laurent Bonomo, both 23, were bound, stabbed to death and set alight in a bedsit in New Cross, south east London, last weekend.

Officers on Sunday released an e-fit of a man seen running from the flat in Sterling Gardens just after 10pm last Sunday.

Several people saw the man fleeing after they heard an explosion in the flat where the students were killed.

He is described as white, aged 30 to 40, slim and was wearing a light-coloured baseball cap, dark top, blue jeans and white trainers.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Duthie, who is leading the investigation, said: "It is possible someone who lives here, was visiting or passing through will remember something, however small, to help us solve this horrific crime.

"I also want to reiterate an appeal for anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious throughout that day, last Sunday, 29 June.

"Just to repeat what we know: Laurent spoke to his fiancée around 1am on the Sunday morning. After that, no-one heard from Laurent or Gabriel or saw them.

"It is important to stress that the attack could have taken place at any time during Sunday. We believe that anyone involved in this scene would have been bloodstained when they left the area."